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Saturday, November 22

Mickleham Church, UK

I was told about this lovely little church, St Michaels Church in Mickleham in England, a while back and today I found myself nearby enough to go and visit. The history of the place is incredible, so come and have a look around with me.

A church was first erected on this site over 1000 years ago. In fact, when the nave was renovated some plaster coating was discovered with the date 1080 marked in red. Many of the graves date back to the 1600's.
Can you see the hole in the gravestone in front of the church?

Along one side of the graveyard is a path, leading to this wonderfully rustic lytch-gate:

Opposite the lyth-gate is the chapel wall, one of the most ancient parts of the church. The chequered flint and stone wall dates back to about 1300! And inside the chapel we found some old olk panelling which is said to have been rescued from the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Inside the church we noticed that the layout was slightly off-kilter. This is common to many ancient churches, an attempt to replicate the hanging head of Jesus on the cross, called a "weeping chancel".
Another intersting thing we found, just behind Dad, around the corner, was a small narrow window, known as a 'lepers squint'. In the Middle Ages people were terrified of the disease, so lepers were not permitted to enter the church, but were allowed to watch from these small windows.

Look at this old tomb, the yeoman of the Kings confectionary office, died in 1684, aged about sixty fower years:

Nell said I adore visiting historical sites and walking were the time seems to flash from the past into the into the future. You often think what spirits are are watching . To touch history ,to read an old grave stone and give breath to the name of someone dead for eons to be heard again.